Four semifinalists bring little glamour to Garden

Underrated group known for football takes place of top seeds.

NEW YORK — The folks at Madison Square Garden were drooling at the thought of a Duke-Villanova regional final. Two schools that consider the Garden a home away from home in a No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed dream matchup.

Instead, four football schools are fighting for a berth in basketball’s Final Four.

Tonight, eighth-seeded Wisconsin plays fourth-seeded Florida, while third-seeded Baylor meets seventh-seeded South Carolina.

No team left in the NCAA Tournament is as used to being in the Sweet 16 as Wisconsin. The Badgers are in their fourth straight regional semifinal, a feat no other team can claim. They have also been in the round of 16 six of the last seven years. Florida is making its fifth straight Sweet 16 appearance, but it’s over a seven-year span. Baylor is making its fourth regional semifinal appearance since 2010.

South Carolina? The Gamecocks won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1973. Last year, South Carolina was mistakenly told on Selection Sunday that it was in the field.

“Privately, in my own home with my wife, when I spoke to my mom, when I spoke to guys that raised me, I let them know, ‘This ain’t right, these kids deserve to be there,’” South Carolina coach Frank Martin said. “But being around guys like (Sindarius) Thornwell allowed me to understand, I’ve got a responsibility here to get them in for the next opportunity. It’s here and it’s been an unbelievable ride. I’m happy they’re experiencing it right now.”

The Gamecocks came into the NCAA Tournament having lost two straight and five of seven. Now they’re on a roll that includes wins over Marquette and Duke.”

Wisconsin, which many felt was underseeded as a No. 8, comes in having just beaten the overall No. 1 seed, Villanova.

“They had a great year. We never talked about in preparation for Villanova about playing the defending national champions,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “We just talked about playing a really good team and that we were going to have to play really well in order to have a chance in that game.”

And now the Badgers are back in the Sweet 16.